That Face, That Face

Babies have incredibly expressive faces, and Ryan is no exception. Emotions flutter across his face in rapid succession, from smile to frown to confusion to comprehension. His eyebrows raise in astonishment, his cheeks dimple in laughter, his lips pucker in consternation, his eyes widen in excitement or narrow in suspicion.

And each new expression is a new discovery for him, as well! He cracks himself up with his own giggles, he fascinates himself with sticking out his tongue or blowing bubbles or wrinkling his nose. His constantly changing expressions remind me how new everything in the universe is to him. How amazing to have a sense of wonder about something as simple and basic as making facial expressions!

So as each expression blossoms across his face, I can feel my own expression bursting again and again into wonder and delight and laughter. Watching this little child discover the world of emotion and expression brings joy to me as I share his discoveries. I could watch his face for hours, taking in each dimple, marveling over those clear blue eyes and thick dark lashes, rubbing my cheek against that perfectly soft skin, touching those delicate brows, nuzzling that button nose, and kissing those rosebud lips. Even at three months, his face has changed so much that I try to burn each moment and each expression into my memory before it's lost forever to time. Photos help, but they can't possibly capture every fleeting expression that I see. So I look and look and look and then I look some more. Because I don't want to miss a single glance!